1. Field of the Invention
This disclosure relates to the field of cables, particularly to multi-member composite cables where components are combined together in a single separable cable construct.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the modern world, cables are everywhere. They are used to transmit numerous signals between individual electronic components that can range from the very basic building blocks of electrical systems to the most cutting-edge consumer and commercial devices. As the world becomes more “wired” there is a growing need for the cables that carry signals to be more readily available and easier to install in both new and existing locations.
This is particularly true for cables used inside structures such as homes, other residences, or commercial establishments. Many of these structures do not have the necessary infrastructure to handle all the modern communication requirements. For instance, houses built many years ago generally do not have internal cabling for a local area network (LAN), and may or may not have broadband cable TV or modern phone lines installed. Further as the so-called “smart house” concept becomes more popular, there is a need for even more wiring that is not yet present in homes being built. In particular, many of the smart house applications require that multiple devices in a plurality of different locations be able to hook up to both internal networks and data connections, as well as external data lines and power.
Putting these types of cabling in older structures generally requires retrofitting and rewiring. In particular, the cables need to be installed through walls which are already in place. This can be a time consuming and physically difficult procedure as generally the resident and/or owner of the structure does not want walls, floors or other portions of the structure damaged to install the new cabling. To be able to do this, it is therefore desirable to have a single cable construct that allows for simultaneous installation of all the desired cables through the walls. In this way when the cable installer gets one of the cables to its predetermined termination point, the other cables (which are usually provided to a nearby termination point to be used by similar devices) are also already nearby.
The installation of this type of multi-member composite cable into already existing structures requires the installer to be able to maneuver the cable where it needs to go within the structure. In particular, when a cable is installed in a new structure the cable often does not need to be easy to bend or to turn as the cable can be bent as it is being installed. When installing new cable in an existing structure, a cable will often need to be flexible so as to be able to turn and will need to be “steerable” so as to be more easily installed through existing walls.
Even when cables are being installed in a new structure where the installer has much more access, there are significant advantages to having cables that can be installed together. In particular, the cables will usually terminate at points fairly close together as often a single device will use multiple hookups (for instance, a computer will generally need cables to supply power, a phone line, a LAN line, and possibly a broadband TV line). Further, as devices become more interconnected, even specialized devices are beginning to demand additional hookups (for instance a console arcade system and associated TV may require multiple hookups to different connections (such as, but not limited to, audio, control, telephone, power, and broadband cable TV and also LAN or other internal data hookups)). Even when devices only require a single hookup, there is generally a single point where an external hookup connects to the structure. Depending on the size of the structure, even if hookups are distributed in a room or in multiple rooms, having them go from the single input to the room or rooms together can be highly beneficial. Traditionally, each type of cable has been separate, therefore a cable installer would need to install a separate cable for each location.
The use of separate cables required the cable installer to carry multiple reels of different cables, and to repeatedly install the cables. Further, it required the cable installer to perform the same actions multiple times as they would install one cable and then install another cable in the same position. This increases the total amount of time it takes to wire a structure and is particularly problematic if the installation has points of particular difficulty as each additional cable may dramatically increase the total number of steps needed to get it installed correctly. For instance, if the installer needed to thread a cable through a small hole a significant distance away, the amount of time it takes for the installer to do it successfully once is generally significantly less than the amount of time it takes for the installer to perform the same action 5 or 6 times. This is particularly true if the already installed cable gets in the way of installing later cable.
To try and make the installer's job easier, there have been created some types of multi-member cables, where multiple different types of cable, such as coaxial cables and twisted pair cables are combined into a single multi-member cable by enclosing all the individual component cables in a single overall jacket which retains them all together. This arrangement allows the installation of a single multi-member cable through the structure. Once the multi-member cable is in the general location where an individual component cable is to be installed, the jacket can then be stripped and the individual components separated so that they can be installed to nearby terminators or panels.
While these overall jacketed cables help to solve the underlying problem of separately installing multiple cables, they also create new problems. Firstly, stripping the overall jacket is generally a fairly tedious operation and can require specialized tools (due to the large size and sometimes convoluted shape of the composite cable). Sometimes even with these tools, the cables can slip and move relative to each other inside the jacket causing further problems. Further, because removing the outer jacket involves cutting into the composite cable, a component cable can be damaged by this activity as cutting into the overall jacket can inadvertently lead to cutting into an underlying component cable. This may result in an internal component cable being unusable and the whole composite cable having to be replaced and reinstalled which is both time consuming and wasteful. Further, the outer overall jacket generally adds stiffness and increases the overall diameter of the cable. This can often make the cable difficult to maneuver into tight points or around corners and adds cost to the resultant product.
An additional problem with the overall jacketed composite cable is that the separation of the composite cable is an all or nothing procedure. Therefore, if the cable installer wants to install a single component cable from the composite at one point, and the remaining components at a point twenty feet away, the cable installer is generally forced to strip twenty feet of the overall jacket from the composite cable so as to access the internal component(s) needed, and then install the remaining twenty feet without the benefit of the overall jacket. This often defeats any benefit that would have been obtained from using the overall jacketed composite cable in the first place, and this premature forced separation can make installing the remaining components even more difficult as the component cables have to be installed simultaneously, while each moving and interacting separately.
Another type of multi-member cable is what is referred to as a bindered cable. This is generally of similar structure to an overall jacketed cable in that the component cables are held together by an external “wrap” or binder which encircles them. In a bindered cable, the wrap is not a jacket but is a narrow binding material that encircles the component cables. Generally these binders are ribbons of polyester or nylon wrapped in either concentric rings or a helical pattern about the component cables. Bindered cables suffer from many of the same problems as the overall jacketed cable and further can more easily be snagged on obstructions while the cable is being installed. Further, the bindered cable will often not meet industry cable performance specifications leading to multi-member cables of less than desirable quality.